Endless Waltz
by Lila Elensar
Summary: Harry has just graduated from Hogwarts and is now facing the growing threat of Voldemort. As his friends watch helplessly from the sidelines harry becomes more depressed and anxious to finish this battle one way or another. He can't watch any more deaths
1. Default Chapter

Endless Waltz  
  
Disclaimer: I own only one or two of these characters. The brilliant J.K. Rowling owns the rest of them. I got some of the ideas from various shows, books, and movies.  
  
This story is based on my own imagination and The Order of the Phoenix. Except for the fact that I blatantly ignored the fact that Sirius died. It starts off a little slow, so bear with me.  
  
~ A New Way of Life ~  
  
Harry lay in bed, staring at the pale morning light shining through his window and onto his ceiling. He was staring at it, but not really seeing it; he had other things on his mind. So much had happened in the past three years. Voldemort had risen and started gaining the kind of power he had had before Harry was even born. Harry's best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, had started going out in their sixth year. His favorite Professor, Remus Lupin- a werewolf, returned to Hogwarts to teach Defense Against the Dark arts. A new and not so useless Minister of Magic, Vincent Aramond, was elected at the beginning of Harry's seventh and last year at Hogwarts. Minister Aramond immediately began working with Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, on how to finally destroy the near immortal Voldemort. Mr. Weasley, Ron's father, was finally promoted, to Head of Magical Cooperation, and just months before Harry's graduation his godfather and convicted murderer, Sirius Black, was cleared of all charges against him.  
In the past three years Harry had come face to face with Voldemort three times, once each year. He had never actually been completely alone, always having at least one Order member with him each time. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had discovered the existence of a group called the Order of the Phoenix, headed by Albus Dumbledore. Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, the Weasley family, and others were part of this Order- dedicated to stopping the destruction caused by Voldemort. Harry's parents had been part of the Order before Voldemort had murdered them. He, Ron, and Hermione, were now members of the Order themselves and although Harry knew it was highly improbable he almost expected to be torn away from his home yet again, forced to face Voldemort again. But no, there was no way, that wasn't possible, not here- "Hey Harry! Are you planning on getting up today!?" came a call from outside his bedroom door. -with his godfather.  
"I'll be down in a minute Sirius!" Harry called back. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and stretched in the morning light bathing his room. He shook his soft, unruly hair out of his eyes, trying unsuccessfully to flatten it. Harry had inherited his father's messy hair and had yet to find a way to tame it. Nothing worked to flatten it so Harry contented himself with knowing that his hair made him unique. Although, the lightning bolt scar on his forehead, a relic from surviving the unblockable Avada Kedavra curse already took care of his uniqueness.  
Before going downstairs, Harry surveyed himself in the mirror, his hair stood in end in various directions. The gray tee shirt and green plaid pants he wore still hung loosely on him, but Harry was no longer the short and skinny boy he had been for the first fourteen years of his life. In his fifth year Quidditch training had increased under the leadership of Angelina Johnson (disregarding the fact that he was kicked off the team for a few months). In his sixth and seventh years Harry himself had been captain and training had intensified even more. As a result Harry had developed muscles in his arms, chest, back, and legs. He was now not only and excellent Seeker, but a good Chaser and Beater as well. (His Keeper skills left something to be desired). He had also had a much appreciated growth spurt, raising his height to almost six feet, only a few inches short of Ron. Although he didn't see it himself, Harry had grown into a very attractive eighteen-year-old.  
Harry paused in the hall on the way down to the kitchen. He looked around himself at the many doors along the very long hall he had just stepped into. He marveled at the size and beauty of the house he now called his home. Sirius had acquired a large sum of money from the government for having been wrongly accused of murder, sent to Azkaban, and forced to live off of rats for four years. He often joked that if he had known that being an escaped convict could get him rich he would have stayed in hiding for another couple years.  
  
"Morning Harry," Remus smiled from behind his copy of the Daily Prophet.  
"Hey Remus, where's Sirius?" Harry asked, walking into the sunlit kitchen and sitting down across from his godfather's friend, Remus Lupin.  
Remus shrugged, "Who knows with him, probably off exploring another wing in this ridiculously large house."  
Harry laughed, "I don't think you can call it a house anymore when it has more than three wings. But you have to admit, it is nice."  
"Yes, it is beautiful," Remus agreed, looking around the kitchen. It was a large room, like almost every other room in the house, with two doors at either end leading from different parts of the house. There was also a set of double glass doors leading to a patio in the backyard. The kitchen had a beautiful oak table at one end and an island at the other, about twelve feet away from each other. It was the envy of Molly Weasley to say the least. Light shone in from the patio doors, the large window above the sink and the skylight positioned over the middle of the kitchen. The ceiling was painted a creamy off-white and two of the walls were pale yellow. The other two walls were wallpapered with a kitchen theme, having the same off-white background as the ceiling. There was a border along the top of the walls showing pictures of fruits in pastels and bright spring colours. The floor was tiled a bright white with a pale blue outline. "I can't believe he spent this much money on a house though."  
"Well excuse me, but I didn't even have a house for fifteen years, I'm making up for lost time," said Sirius, appearing in the doorway at the other end of the kitchen.  
"Where were you?" asked Harry, pouring himself a bowl of cereal.  
"I was, over in, well- I was over- I was down that way," Sirius finally said, pointing through the door he had just walked through.  
"You got lost again didn't you?" smiled Remus, turning around to face Sirius.  
"I did not get lost in my own house Remus."  
"Sure you didn't," Remus chuckled, turning back to his paper.  
Sirius shook his head, "So Harry, how does it feel to be eighteen?"  
"The same is it has every other time you've asked in the past week," answered Harry, rolling his eyes. Harry had never been big on birthdays. He had lived with his aunt and uncle whenever he wasn't at Hogwarts and they didn't recognize his presence in the house, let alone his birthday.  
"Come on, I've never witnessed your birthday before, well, except for your first birthday, so humor me."  
"Just get it over with," Remus muttered to Harry.  
Harry sighed, slumping forward on the table, "I feel taller, and my hair feels messier. And strangely I feel richer."  
"Anyone within fifty meters of this place feels richer," Remus said dryly.  
"Oh stop complaining, you know you love it," Sirius smiled, sitting at one end of the table. Sirius had very forcefully 'invited' Remus to stay in his new mansion for the summer. No one minded this arrangement as Sirius and Remus were best friends and both men loved Harry like he was their own son. Harry also loved both men like a father, no matter how weird, annoying, or overly concerned they became.  
  
"What are your plans for the day Harry?" Remus asked, finally putting down the Daily Prophet, which Sirius immediately grabbed.  
"Not much until tonight. Hermione and Ron are starting work soon, so we were going to go out before they started. Why?"  
"Just wondering what people are up to," Remus shrugged. "What to come to Diagon alley with me? I should probably get out for a while today."  
"Sure," Harry answered. Remus was the unlucky victim of a werewolf bite and spent nights of the full moon as a full-grown and very dangerous werewolf. He had been taking a potion, rendering him a wolf instead of a werewolf, but without the Hogwarts Potions Master to make the potion Remus was forced to endure the painful transformation into a real werewolf. The full moon had waned only two nights ago and Remus had spent most of the past two days sleeping. Transforming always seemed to take a lot out of him. Harry and Sirius both hated seeing him in pain and Harry was willing to do almost anything to speed up his recovery.  
"What are you doing today?" Harry asked his godfather.  
"Going to Hogwarts to meet Dumbledore, then we're going to meet with the Minister."  
"More plans for our 'Friendly Neighbourhood Dark Lord'?" Harry asked.  
"Yeah," Sirius sighed, not really understanding what Harry had meant, "we need to do something before he gets much stronger."  
"You'll give us and overview when you get back?" asked Remus.  
"You bet, I should be home by supper," Sirius smiled. "See you, be careful!" he called on his way out the door.  
Neither Remus nor Harry was dressed yet so they sat in the kitchen for a while, enjoying the quiet and summer warmth. Harry had been forced to grow up far too fast because of the various attempts Voldemort had made to kill him. Unlike most eighteen-year-old guys, Harry enjoyed peace and quiet whenever he could get it. He was only too aware of what could potentially be waiting for him around the next corner.  
  
"Harry."  
"Yes," Harry asked, snapping out of his thoughts.  
"You were thinking about him again."  
"I was'n-"  
"Don't argue, I can tell when you are," Remus interrupted. "There is nothing you can do right now Harry, we're not even sure where Voldemort is right now. All we can do is be careful and be ready for him when he comes back."  
"I know, but Remus, I'm Harry Potter, the only person to he cursed by Voldemort and not die. I feel like people are expecting me to do something," said Harry, sounding more frustrated than he had meant.  
"Yes, they probably are, but you've never fought him alone."  
"It sure feels like it."  
"But you haven't, in your first year Ron and Hermione were with you most of the way, and it was Albus who saved you from Quirrell. In your second year you had Ron, Fawkes, and the Sorting Hat. In your fourth year you had a few people, including your parents. In your fifth year you had Dumbledore to help you again. Sirius was there in your sixth year and just a few months ago I believe that Sirius and I were both there." Remus looked into Harry's eyes, seeing faint signs of hurt. "Look, I'm not trying to tell you that you couldn't face Voldemort by yourself and live, because I believe that you can, now. But back then, Harry, you were eleven. There's no way you could have survived by yourself. I know you've always been smart for your age, you've always known what was right and what you had to do, but you never did it alone. Voldemort has returned to his full strength now and no one really knows how powerful he has become. Testing him by yourself is just not worth it."  
"I know, you're right, it just feels like I've been doing so much alone."  
Remus smiled kindly, "That could be because you were unconscious when anyone came to help, either that or you were in shock from the experience."  
Harry laughed. "Thanks Remus," he said sarcastically. Remus usually made Harry smile when he was frustrated or stressed. Remus had the ability to calm anyone down. He had a very soothing personality.  
"There's no point in you worrying, I have enough premature gray hair and worry lines for both of us," Remus said jokingly. Remus was forty-two, still young for a wizard, and he already had gray mingling with his light brown hair. His face had more worry lines on it than he had expected at his age. His monthly transformations had kept him from keeping a job as well as causing unneeded stress, not that many people noticed. Remus was the kind of guy you met once and then forgot about. He was average height, average build, the type you wouldn't notice in a crowd. Remus had always been overshadowed by those around him. The powerful James Potter, the convicted murderer Sirius Black, and even Harry, 'The Boy Who Lived'. It just happened that Remus was often forgotten, which was unfortunate for the rest of the world. Anyone who really knew Remus knew that he was an amazing person. He was almost always calm and collected, and he cared deeply for the people close to him. The emotion he put behind everything he did was astounding.  
"Well we both know that I don't want gray hair for a long time," Harry smiled back. "Well actually, I just don't want gray hair at all." Harry loved talking with Remus; his personality was so different from that of Sirius. Sirius was more playful; he was a true Marauder. He and Harry had fun and he was always there if Harry needed to talk to him; he was usually there worrying about Harry anyway. Remus was different though, he didn't jump to conclusions as quickly as Sirius did and he was usually more understanding. Sirius felt responsible for Harry, being his godfather, and therefore was often more strict whereas Remus tended to actually asses a situation before acting.  
"You sure? Gray hair would probably look just as good as black hair sticking up in all directions," Remus said, trying hard not to smile.  
Harry glared at Remus. "You know this isn't my fault," he said, pointing to his hair.  
"I know," Remus laughed, "you're father's was the same, although yours might be a little bit worse, if that's possible. Lily could always seem to make James' hair behave, it just took a while." Remus appeared deep in thought. "Anyway, when do you want to leave?"  
"I wanted to go for a swim first, if you're not in a hurry," Harry answered.  
"Go ahead, I'm in no rush to get anywhere."  
  
Ten minutes later Harry was swimming in the pool in the back yard and Remus was sitting on the patio in the sun, still in his tee shirt and pajama bottoms. When Sirius bought his house he had a pool put in the back yard. He had paid for it to be installed by Muggle convention but filled it magically with seawater. Sirius actually filled it with Caribbean seawater and even put sand on the bottom. He even went to the extent of adding a thriving community of tropical fish. Harry and Remus thought he had gone a little too far after adding fish, but Sirius insisted that they were cute and he liked watching them swim around.  
Remus sat in the sun, letting its rays warm is body as he listened to the sound of Harry swimming. Once Harry had graduated from Hogwarts he had been offered a position on England's Quidditch team. He had turned it down to concentrate on the growing threat of Voldemort but hoped that someday he could go back to playing Quidditch. There hadn't been much chance to play that summer so Harry swam laps every morning before doing anything else. He was determined to stay in shape, for Quidditch and for Voldemort.  
  
"Remus?" Remus opened his eyes to see Harry standing before him, still dripping water. "Were you asleep?"  
"Yeah, I guess I was."  
"Are you sure you want to go out today?" Harry asked, concerned.  
"Yes, I'm fine, just a little tired still." Remus stood up stretching, "I'm going to get a shower. Will you be ready in half an hour?"  
"Yep," Harry smiled, making his way to his room. Forty minutes later he and Remus were walking into Diagon Alley from the entrance in the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There, chapter one is complete. I have another sixty pages of story hand written, the hard part is organizing it into chapters. This could take a while as I am a full time Civil engineering student, but I'll try my hardest to update soon. My little brother will be forcing me to write more anyway.  
  
And if anyone could be kind enough to help me- what does prat mean? 


	2. Rumblings

~ Rumblings ~  
  
"Well we have to do something," Sirius said angrily. "Harry is too young to have to worry about himself and others being killed."  
"Mr. Black, your godson does not have to worry about everyone else in the world," said Vincent Aramond, the Minister for Magic.  
"But he does Vincent," Headmaster Dumbledore tried to explain. "It has been prophesied that he must be the one to kill Voldemort. Prophecies do not always come to pass, but Harry will not take the chance of ignoring it at the expense of innocent lives. He knows only too well what it is like to lose loved ones to Voldemort. He can barely remember his parents and he is told daily that they were great wizards. The public expects him to do something, he feels pressured."  
"It's true," Sirius nodded. "He's been stressed lately, he won't stand by and watch innocent people die for much longer. Everyday people tell him about how much he looks like James or how his eyes are exactly the same as Lily's or how James would have been so proud of him. And all he hears is the echo of that damn prophecy in his head. I'm afraid he won't listen to my warnings anymore. He's only eighteen," Sirius finished, sounding almost desperate.  
"Precisely, he is only eighteen," Minister Aramond nodded.  
"An eighteen year old who was forced to grow up faster than everyone else around him. An eighteen year old with the prospect of murder in his future," added Dumbledore gravely.  
"If we don't find something soon I'm afraid Harry will go looking for Voldemort. We're lucky He stayed quiet for this many years! He won't stay quiet for much longer; his forces are gathering and gaining power. I won't loose Harry to that! I've lost too many people to Voldemort already."  
"We are trying to do something, but we're not getting any information out of these books," Aramond said, gesturing to the ancient books they had been using for research. "I can contact the Ministers of a few other countries, maybe they will know something or have some useful books on dark powers. I can't afford to take any Aurors away to look for Voldemort, they've already got their hands full protecting Britain from the Death Eater attacks that have started."  
"Thank you," Dumbledore nodded. "Come on Sirius, I'm sure Vincent has other things to do than endure your glare." He guided Sirius out of the room. "You'll contact me if any new information arises?"  
"Yes, of course," the Minister answered.  
"Then we shall talk later," Dumbledore smiled, closing the door as he dragged Sirius from the room. "And I will contact you when I hear anything." He added to Sirius. "Now go home, spend some time with Harry and Remus."  
"I suppose you're right," Sirius sighed.  
"Yes, I am. Don't look so frustrated, you'll only make Harry more worried. Go home and read or play Quidditch, or swim in that ridiculously large pool of yours."  
Sirius smiled, "Okay, you'll be in touch?"  
"Yes," Dumbledore answered. "Oh, and Sirius, say hello to the fish for me."  
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Bye," he said apparating to his front door miles away. "Hello?" he called upon entering the hall. No one answered. 'Hmm.. I guess they're still in Diagon Alley,' he thought to himself as he made his way to his room. A swim before supper didn't seem like a bad idea at all.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"You didn't get anything done!" Harry exclaimed.  
"Well that's not true, we know what books are absolutely useless now."  
"Sirius, this isn't funny. People are dying!"  
"Don't you think I know that!" Sirius yelled, running his hands through his hair in frustration.  
"Sirius, calm down." Remus ordered. The three of them had just finished supper and were still sitting at the kitchen table. Remus was sitting at the head of the table, acting as referee for the fight he had known was coming. Fights between Harry and Sirius were slightly less than pleasant. Sirius worried about Harry, Harry worried about anyone and everyone that wasn't himself, and they were both too stubborn to admit that they were being unreasonable.  
Sirius sighed; hanging his head while Remus turned to Harry. "Harry, they've checked almost every book in the entire United Kingdom. They're doing the best they can."  
"Dumbledore is getting a new shipment of books in two days, he owled me just before supper. Let us find something before you go running off looking for the man who wants to kill you. You won't be able to help anyone if you're dead," said Sirius calmly. Though the thought of Harry dying scared him beyond belief.  
Harry sighed; he could see the fear in his godfather's eyes. "I'm sorry. I know I can't go looking for Voldemort. It's just, I feel like I should be. I'm the one who has to- kill him." Sirius nodded, not returning Harry's gaze.  
"Harry, aren't you supposed to meet Ron and Hermione soon?" Remus asked.  
"Yeah," said Harry, not taking his eyes off of Sirius.  
"Why don't you go, have some fun. Tell them we said 'Hi'," Remus suggested.  
"Okay," said Harry, turning away from Sirius, who still hadn't looked up form his plate. 'I'll go get ready," he said, getting up from the table. Remus and Sirius sat in silence until he came back downstairs.  
"How do I look?" asked Harry. Sirius raised his head to see Harry standing in the doorway. He was wearing light beige khakis, a black shirt, and his dark green cloak. He had on his new glasses which we much smaller and not so round as his old glasses. They made him look sophisticated.  
"You look great," he smiled.  
"Thanks, I'll be back, probably around one."  
"Be careful," Remus said. "Have fun."  
Harry nodded, looking back to his godfather who had gotten up and was staring out the window into the darkening back yard. Remus smiled reassuringly at Harry, motioning for him to leave. "Okay, bye," Harry said, looking at Sirius one more time before leaving to mean his friends.  
  
"Sirius?" Remus asked slowly. "Yeah?" "You're radiating fear, I can sense it." Sirius turned to his friend, "Pretend you can't sense it."  
"I can't do that, I'm a werewolf, I just sense things."  
"So what do you expect me to say?" asked Sirius harshly.  
"I want you to tell me why you're so terrified."  
Sirius only hung his head again, walking outside onto the back patio. Remus followed quietly. Sirius stopped in the middle of the yard and turned to face Remus. "You know what I'm scared of, because you're scared of the same thing."  
"You know he wouldn't really go looking for Voldemort, he has more sense than that. He's just getting impatient."  
Sirius shook his head, "He's only eighteen Remus, do you remember what we were like when we were eighteen?"  
"I remember what you were like."  
"Reckless, we were stupid and reckless. What makes you think Harry is any different?"  
"He has more to worry about than we did. Voldemort was just starting to gain power then. None of us were worried for our families like Harry is, or for the rest of the world," Remus said, trying to make Sirius feel better.  
Sirius laughed a fake, sarcastic laugh. "Because of Voldemort Harry no longer has a family to worry about."  
"That's not true, he worries about you just as much as you worry about him," said Remus. "You must see that."  
Sirius sat down on the grass, "Yes, I know that, I'm just not sure I believe it. It's been so long since anyone worried about me, let alone a teenager."  
"I know, not even I worry about you to the extent that Harry does though, he loves you like his own father. You're the only real family he has."  
"And he's the only family I have, besides you that is. That's what worries me though, Remus." Sirius ran his hands through his hair again; he sounded almost frantic.  
Remus sat down beside him, "What do you mean?"  
"I can't lose him Remus, if he dies- I-I can't, not after everything- " Sirius looked into the eyes of his best friend, desperately looking for comfort.  
Remus held Sirius' gaze as long as he could bear before looking away, Sirius looked so scared that he was on the verge of tears. Remus couldn't remember Sirius ever crying or looking that scared, ever. "He won't die, I won't let him, you won't let him, Dumbledore won't let him."  
Sirius now held his head in his hands; his elbows propped on his knees. "Remus, what if we can't save him every time? What if- we're too late. I'm not as strong as James was-"  
"You're every bit as strong as James was," Remus interrupted. "He entrusted you with his only child, and you and I both know how much he loved Harry."  
"It's just that, if something happened, if I couldn't save him, I couldn't deal with it Remus. I can't lose him too. Not after James and Lily, and you for so many years. I lost everyone I ever cared about when I went to Azkaban." Remus was sure that Sirius had tears running down his face, but he couldn't see any of Sirius' face at the moment. His hands and shoulder length hair shrouded him in the growing darkness of night.  
"Nothing will happen to Harry as long as we're alive. I've lost everyone I cared about as well, and now that I have you and Harry back- I won't let anything happen to you." Remus' voice was filled with hurt and determination. His life since James and Lily died had not been much better than Sirius'. The rest of the world may have rejoiced at the downfall of Voldemort, but the lives of those close to Lily and James had taken a definite downturn.  
Sirius was so surprised by the tone of Remus' voice that he looked up at his friend. His eyes were red and he still looked scared, but it was nothing compared to the pain in Remus' eyes.  
"Remus?" Sirius asked worriedly. "I'm sorry, I know your life hasn't been that great either. I shouldn't have-"  
"No," Remus interrupted, "it's okay, you're worried about Harry, so am I. You just- you reminded me of how alone I was."  
"I know, I was alone too."  
Remus shook his head, "No, it's one thing to really be alone, you were locked in a cell on an island. It's another thing, completely, to be wholly alone and be surrounded by people everyday.  
"So our lives sucked and now we're afraid that Voldemort is going to kill the only person keeping us from falling apart," Sirius summed up almost sarcastically.  
"Pretty much," Remus sighed. "When I met Harry in his third year, my life changed. He reminded me so much of Lily and James. He was the closest thing I had to anything like a family, and although he didn't know it, it made me feel better."  
"I watched him play Quidditch a couple times that year, he even flies like James. He gave me some renewed hope too. Even when he was trying to kill me. I thought that if he did, Lily and James' deaths would be avenged."  
"But that wasn't your fault."  
"I believed it was though."  
"Now all this has happened and we're facing the same thing all over again," Remus sighed.  
"Except this time there are no magic charms and we know that we can trust each other," said Sirius, laying down to stare at the starry sky.  
"Yes, and I am eternally thankful for that," Remus agreed, lying down as well. He propped his head on his arms and the two men fell into silence, each staring beyond the sky and into their own minds. 


	3. 3 Dreams and Death Eaters

I'm hoping that this story is somewhat enjoyable. It starts out a little slow, but things pick up. There's a small Draco encounter and a night of dancing later on. I love Draco.  
  
Siriuswulf- Remus and Sirius have reason to be worried, just not quite yet. It's delayed.  
  
~ Dreams and Death Eaters ~  
  
"Harry? What's wrong?" Hermione asked.  
"What? Oh, it's nothing," Harry smiled back kindly.  
Anyone else would have let the subject drop but Hermione Granger, one of Harry's two best friends, knew him better than that. Hermione was incredibly smart, though somewhat of a know-it-all, and quite pretty. She was slim with slight curves, brown eyes, and long wavy brown hair. "Something is bothering you," she prodded.  
Harry didn't exactly feel like explaining his feelings in as public a place as the pub they were currently in, but he knew he wouldn't be able to shake Hermione. "It's Sirius, he was acting weird tonight. I think it was because of something I said."  
"Who said what?" asked Ron, walking up to their table carrying three bottles of Butterbeer. Ron Weasley was Harry's other best friend and had been going out with Hermione for going on two years. Ron was tall, a few inches over six feet. He was skinny with brilliant red hair. Where Hermione was Muggle born and an only child, Ron was from a completely magical family and had five brothers and a sister. The Weasley family was one of the nicest in the world, in Harry's opinion.  
Hermione rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, "Go on Harry."  
'Well, I was mad that they hadn't found any information on Voldemort yet and then Sirius got kinda mad and Remus pretty much told us to shut up. Then Sirius was saying that if I went to look for Voldemort myself I'd probably die and that I couldn't help anyone if I was dead. But then his expression changed completely, he looked so scared. I've never seen him look that scared."  
The three friends didn't notice, but a few people nearby had heard the word 'Voldemort' and sneered in Harry's direction. That name was rarely spoken in the wizarding world, as people were afraid of him and preferred to refer to him as 'The Dark Lord', 'You Know Who', or 'He Who Must Not Be Named'. In Harry's first year at Hogwarts he discovered that the wizarding world never said 'Voldemort', though he never really understood why. Dumbledore was the only other person he had ever heard who spoke the name freely. 'Fear of a name only increases fear itself, Harry.' He had said, and Harry believed him. It had taken Ron and Hermione a good five years to get used to Harry speaking the evil wizard's name out loud.  
"Oh," Ron said. "Why would he look scared though?"  
"It was like he realized what he said, and then he stopped looking at me. I said I was sorry for thinking that I could go looking for Voldemort myself, but he still wouldn't look at me. He just nodded."  
"You thought you could what?" Hermione asked, almost choking on her Butterbeer.  
"Harry, you can't-"  
"I know that Hermione," Harry interrupted, "calm down."  
"Where would Sirius get that idea then?" Ron asked suspiciously.  
"I've just been stressed lately, getting impatient that we haven't come any closer to finding a way to kill him," Harry lied. He had actually contemplated going to find Voldemort, but he knew that he had very little chance of surviving if he just charged in recklessly. The Order knew about the prophecy and were all so worried about Harry that he couldn't bare to tell them the truth. If he died then there was a chance that Voldemort would live forever, according to the prophecy.  
"So, you're not going to look for him?" asked Hermione.  
"No, I'm not going anywhere," Harry reassured her.  
" Good, this way we don't have to tie you down," said Ron, sounding worried and relieved at the same time.  
"I'd like to see you try," Harry joked, trying to lighten the mood.  
Ron laughed, 'I'm just as strong as you and I've got at least three inches on you in height."  
"But who's the more powerful wizard?" harry questioned, his eyebrows raised.  
"Honesty, you both suck, so who cares?" Hermione smiled innocently. 'Harry, want to dance?"  
Harry looked at Ron, "You mind?"  
"Go ahead, I'm not the dancing type. Just have her back in one piece," smiled Ron, settling down to drink his Butterbeer.  
  
Harry led Hermione onto the dance floor where a wizarding band Harry didn't recognize was playing a slow, yet happy song.  
"What are you going to do when I'm not here to dance with?" Harry asked Hermione while gracefully dancing in tune to the music.  
"Why wouldn't you be here?" Hermione asked.  
"Well, I'm sure you'll want to go out with Ron alone sometime."  
"Oh, that, you made it sound like you wouldn't be coming back. I don't know, I'll have to teach him to dance, unless you want to."  
Harry laughed, "I can picture it now. Ron and I dancing in the living room to some love song. Sirius would come in and break down into tears. I'm pretty sure he'd think there was something seriously wrong if he thought I'd suddenly decided that I liked guys."  
Hermione laughed, "Remus would be understanding. But there's nothing wrong with liking someone of the same sex, people like that get married all the time and have wonderful lives and-"  
"Yes Hermione," Harry interrupted, "I never said there was anything wrong with that, but I'm not gay so your speech on the homosexual population has no effect on me."  
Hermione looked up at Harry. "Fine," she said disappointedly. "It's just that they are very-"  
"Hermione!"  
"Okay, fine, no more lectures."  
"Good," Harry laughed, "I finished school months ago. I had hoped to take a break before having to learn anything else." Hermione just smiled politely and let Harry guide her along the path he carved on the dance floor. He was an excellent dancer, though he had never had any lessons that she knew of.  
  
"Remus?"  
"Hmm..?" came the mans mumbled reply.  
"What are you two doing?" Harry asked, bewildered as to why his godfather and former professor were asleep on the lawn beside each other.  
Remus sat up, "I believe they call it sleeping."  
Harry rolled his eyes. "I can see that, but why?" he said sarcastically.  
"We were watching the stars weren't we Padfoot?" said Remus, nudging Sirius with his elbow.  
"Hmm.." Sirius said groggily, waking up.  
"Harry is home," Remus explained, standing up from the damp ground.  
Sirius stretched, standing up beside Remus. "What time is it?"  
"A little after one," Harry answered.  
"When did you say you'd be home?"  
"Around one," Harry answered again.  
"Well, at least he's never late," Sirius grinned at Remus.  
"That would be because he makes his own curfew depending on when he wants to come home," commented Remus dryly.  
"Hey, I do not!" Harry defended himself.  
"Yes you do," said Remus, " and don't pretend you don't."  
Harry rolled his eyes, "I'm going to bed."  
"Night," Remus and Sirius said, following him into the house.  
  
***  
  
"My Lord, it is done," said a cruel voice. Two men were talking, hidden in the shadows of a dark room.  
"You have done well, Lucius. I had not been sure that you were still in a position to handle such a task," answered a high and cold voice.  
"I still have one excellent source in the outside world, My Lord. One source that even Dumbledore does not yet suspect."  
"Yes, you're son Draco. He may very well prove to be an excellent Death Eater himself. You have done well Lucius."  
"Thank you My Lord," said the man named Lucius, bowing slightly.  
"Now leave me, I wish to speak with Vartan," said the high voice of Voldemort. He paced the room as Lucius Malfoy left to get Vartan. Voldemort was a tall man, if he was still a man at all. His eyes were the darkest black, turned blood red when he became angry. He was skinny, barely more than a skeleton with jet-black hair and extremely pale skin.  
"You asked for me?" said Vartan, walking into the room.  
"Yes. Carter, I have a small task for you."  
"Yes?" Carter Vartan waited for Voldemort to continue.  
"Watch Potter and Black. I want to know what they are doing. That Muggle loving fool, Dumbledore, and his followers will be trying to come up with some method of destroying me. Watch the boy and his godfather closely."  
"If you don't mind me asking, why?"  
"Potter and Black will, more than likely, be very involved in whatever Dumbledore is planning. I want to know their part in everything. I want to know their relationship with each other. I may be able to use one to get to the other if need be. Dumbledore, Potter, and Black must all be dead for me to achieve my goals."  
Carter Vartan nodded, "Very well."  
Voldemort laughed, "Immortality will be much more comfortable when they are no longer living in this world."  
  
***  
  
Harry sat up in bed very suddenly. His eyes were wide and his clothes were damp from sweat. His limbs were shaking as he brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. "It was a dream, it was just a dream," he breathed, trying to steady his heartbeat. The details of the dream were slipping away from him like sand through open fingers but his mind still retained the general message. Voldemort wanted Sirius dead. "Voldemort wants Dumbledore and I dead too, but that's no surprise," Harry mumbled. "Why Sirius?" Harry rested his head on his knees, not even noticing the tears that had gathers in the corners of his eyes during the dream. After not moving for at least a quarter of an hour Harry started shivering from the cold of his sweaty clothes against his warm skin. He wiped the beads of sweat and tears from his face and slowly got to his feet to change into dry clothes. He was about to open a drawer to put on another tee shirt when his head started pounding. The pounding grew to a searing pain concentrated where his scar sat on his forehead. Harry clutched his head in pain as the searing suddenly turned to blinding pain and his scar burned white hot. Harry moaned, a barely audible gasp, before he fell to the floor, unconscious.  
  
Sometime during the night Remus thought that he heard the crinkle or bed sheets being kicked and a sharp intake of breath. He awoke half an hour after that, sure that he had just heard something fall, but he was still tired drained from his transformation and sleep overtook him before he had a chance to think about the sounds.  
  
"Sirius, did you hear something last night?" Remus asked, walking into the kitchen the next morning.  
Sirius raised his head from the Morning Prophet. "No," he said, sounding sad and frustrated.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Voldemort, he attacked a football game last night. Over fifty Muggles died."  
Remus' eyes widened in shock. " I'm going to check on Harry," he said, turning on his heel and sprinting back up the stairs.  
Sirius ran after him feeling confused and suddenly worried. "Remus, what's going on?"  
"I thought I heard something last night, something fall, but then I fell asleep again," Remus said, reaching the second floor.  
"So? What does that have to do with Harry?"  
"Maybe nothing, I just want to make sure," said Remus, stopping outside Harry's bedroom door.  
Sirius quietly opened the door, expecting to see Harry asleep in bed. What he saw was a messy, yet empty bed and his godson laying on the floor. "Harry!" Sirius exclaimed, immediately at his side. Sirius didn't move him for fear of hurting him. "Harry, wake up."  
"He looks flushed, his breathing is regular though," Remus observed, kneeling on the other side of Harry. He gently put his hand on Harry's forehead. "He has a fever, his skin is damp."  
"Harry, wake up," Sirius tried again, fear building inside of him.  
Harry moaned, hearing his name from far off. His eyes fluttered open and he immediately began to shiver. "Sirius?"  
"I'm here."  
"What, what time is it?" asked Harry, sitting up a little too fast for comfort.  
"Only nine," Remus answered. "What happened?"  
Harry stood up, accepting the help of Sirius and Remus to get to his bed. "I had this dream. I forget most of it now. Someone did something, something bad I think. Voldemort was talking, he wanted us dead." Harry looked worriedly at Sirius. 'I woke up cold and sweating so I got up to change and then my head started hurting. My scar was burning and then I guess I blacked out. It's never hurt that much before."  
Sirius handed Harry a sweater, which he quickly put on. "Did you see anyone in the dream?"  
Harry shook his head, "Not really. Voldemort was there, talking to someone, maybe a few people. I can't remember. Sorry."  
"It's okay," Sirius smiled reassuringly.  
"Sirius, why did it hurt so much? My scar has hurt before, enough to make it feel like my head was going to explode. But this was worse."  
"There was an attack last night," Remus explained.  
"On who?" Harry asked, afraid of the answer.  
"A Muggle stadium during a football game. You're scar probably hurt so much because of all of the people that died under the Dark Mark."  
Harry hung his head, his hair covering his eyes, "Death Eaters."  
"Yes," Remus nodded quietly.  
"How- how many died?"  
"Over fifty," answered Sirius. He could feel Harry clench his fists. "It's not your fault. You can't see the future, you couldn't have prevented it."  
"No, I can only feel their pain. I can feel their lives being ripped from their bodies by a bright green light," Harry growled. "They weren't even magic, he wasn't purifying any bloodlines. He was just killing for fun."  
"Harry-"  
"What," Harry snapped. "I have more magical blood running through my veins than he does and I'm powerless to stop him from murdering innocent people!"  
"It's not your job to stop him," Sirius said forcefully.  
"That's exactly what my job is! You know what the prophecy said," Harry shouted, glaring into his godfather's eyes.  
"Well I'm not about to let you go off and try to kill him by yourself!"  
"Well no one else is doing it!"  
"Because no one knows how!"  
"No one lives forever, it can't be that hard to kill him!"  
  
"Hey!" Remus shouted. "I won't stand here and listen to you two fight like this," he growled. "Harry, you can go find Voldemort if you want, but he'll kill you. Sirius, you can demand that Harry stay here all you like but he won't listen forever. And Harry, you know very well that it doesn't matter how much magical blood you have. Hermione and Neville should have proven that to you," he declared, his voice calm but hard.  
Sirius looked at Remus in shock, Harry had reverted back to staring at the floor.  
"We have no hope of winning this war if we can't even listen to each other," Remus stated, clearly angry.  
"Remus, I-" Sirius started.  
"I don't care, it's not important," Remus interrupted but stopped when he saw Harry shiver almost violently. "Harry-"  
"I'm fine, just cold," Harry said shortly.  
Remus sighed, "I'll be downstairs." He stopped in the doorway, "Harry, he will kill you if you go to him." Harry closed his eyes, listening to Remus' retreated footsteps in the hall.  
"He's-"  
"I know," Harry cut Sirius off. "He's right. I know." 


	4. Conversations

I finally updated! Yay me! I know it's short.. but I finally updated! Yay me!  
  
* Conversations*  
  
Harry shook the hair out of his eyes, "I didn't ask for this you know," he said looking at Sirius.  
  
"I know." Sirius sighed.  
  
"You know last night people came up to me and asked me where 'You Know Who' was and what we were doing to stop him? Like I had all the answers! And others were glaring at me like I shouldn't have been there, like they expected me to be off fighting with Voldemort while they had fun!" Harry ran his hand through his hair, "I didn't want this, it just happened. My parents died to save my life and I can't even avenge their deaths."  
  
"Well I couldn't either, and God knows I tried."  
  
Harry raised his eyebrows, "Do you even believe in God?"  
  
"With all my heart," Sirius nodded. "There's no way I stayed alive in Azkaban for twelve years all by myself." Sirius saw Harry's eyes light up, the smile didn't reach his lips, but Sirius knew it was there. "Did you know that muggles think magic is a dark power?"  
  
"Yeah, they used to think they were burning people at the stake."  
  
Sirius nodded, "They no longer actively search for witches or wizards, but they still believe that magic is a power that comes from Satan. They fight their own evils and have no idea that we are fighting to protect them and ourselves."  
  
"That's depressing." Harry murmured, "We're fighting against the same thing and they don't even believe it."  
  
Sirius shrugged, "Most of them don't believe in us anyway."  
  
"Little kids pretend to be magic, or at least they did when I was little. They seem to grow out of that though." Harry shivered again.  
  
"Are you still cold?"  
  
"Just a little bit, my head is pounding though."  
  
Sirius felt Harry's forehead. He was still warm, but his skin wasn't as clammy anymore. "You should go back to bed for a while." "I was unconscious for a few hours, I feel pretty rested Sirius. I'm kinda hungry though."  
  
Sirius nodded, getting up from Harry's bed. "I'm going to go find Remus, he seemed."  
  
"Mad?" Harry asked, smiling slightly.  
  
"Mhmm," Sirius nodded, "Its not funny."  
  
"I know, but he never gets mad. It amusing when he does," Harry explained.  
  
Sirius raised his eyebrows "It scares me, I find it very unnerving."  
  
Harry laughed, "I'll be down after I get a shower."  
  
* * *  
  
"He's fine. He's outside swimming right now." Sirius spoke bent over the fireplace in the living room. The fireplace was a mode of transportation for the magical community.  
  
They could travel through a fireplace with floo powder, but currently Albus Dumbledore's head was the only thing floating in Sirius's fireplace. Dumbledore's head nodded, his long white hair and beard being licked by flames. "I read the paper this morning and thought that I should check in."  
  
Sirius was leaning on the mantle, "It knocked him out, I'm not sure how long, but his fever is completely gone now. It took him a good three hours to get warm again though. Albus, he said it hurt more, a lot more. This has never happened before."  
  
"I believe that is because Voldemort attacked muggles. A large crowed of muggles that didn't even know he exists. They were more surprised, they're fear was more than any wizard's would be. I believe that is why Harry felt considerably more pain."  
  
Sirius sighed, "I know it hurt him, but you know Harry, he'd never admit it."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled, "Like godfather like godson."  
  
Sirius smiled awkwardly, it was a nice compliment though Harry wasn't his son. "He's so much like James."  
  
"He's a mixture of both of you, which, come to think of it, might not be a good thing." Dumbledore joked, his eyes twinkling.  
  
"Sirius, who are you - Oh, Hello Albus." Remus greeted, entering the living room. Sirius turned back to Dumbledore, "Well, maybe the amount of Lily in him makes up for the combination of James and I." Remus snorted, "Any amount of Lily more than makes up for you and James." Dumbledore laughed. "I'm still not sure why she ever married James." Remus shook his head, though he appeared to be reliving a happy thought.  
  
"They were quite cute together though." Dumbledore smiled, also remembering happier times.  
  
"Who was cute together?" Harry asked, stepping into the room fully clothed and dry except for his hair.  
  
"Your parents." Sirius answered without thinking.  
  
"Oh, okay." Harry shrugged. He couldn't even remember seeing his parents except in pictures.  
  
Remus gave Harry a sympathetic smile ruffling his wet hair.  
  
"Well I must be off, I have a meeting with Severus soon," said Dumbledore.  
  
"Have fun with that." Sirius said sarcastically.  
  
"Now there's a professor I won't miss." Harry mumbled just loud enough for everyone to hear.  
  
"I told you. Like godfather, like godson." Dumbledore shook his head before it disappeared from the fireplace.  
  
"Was that anything important?" Harry questioned.  
  
"He was just asking if you were okay."  
  
"Oh," Harry shrugged, thinking it was information on Voldemort.  
  
"Important enough." Sirius said pointing his wand at Harry.  
  
"Sirius what are you doing?" Harry asked, slowly backing away from his godfather.  
  
"I was going to dry your hair." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"No!" Harry exclaimed, clamping his arms over his head.  
  
"Why not?" asked a bewildered Sirius. Remus watched with amusement.  
  
"My hair dries better naturally."  
  
"Magic is natural for us." Sirius said lowering his wand.  
  
"My hair dries better in the air, it doesn't go as crazy." Harry stated.  
  
Sirius shrugged, putting his wand back in his pocket "If you say so."  
  
"Did Dumbledore say 'like godfather, like godson'?" taking his hands off his head and trying to smooth his hair.  
  
"Yeah," Sirius smiled, "apparently we're alike."  
  
"Imagine that!" Harry joked sarcastically. Sirius rolled his eyes.  
  
"So what are you up to today?" Remus asked Harry.  
  
"I thought I'd go to Diagon alley, wander around a bit." Harry answered.  
  
"Alone?" Sirius questioned.  
  
"Yes alone! I'm eighteen years old, I can go to Diagon Alley by myself. It only takes half a second to get there."  
  
"Fine," Sirius said, "Have fun. I have to go say hi to my tropical fish for Dumbledore." Albus loved to tease Sirius about having fish in his pool.  
  
"I'll be back around supper," said Harry as he walked out the front door, "Bye." "Remus, do you think he'll be okay?"  
  
Remus nodded, "You're too overprotective. It's Diagon Alley, nice and friendly with lots of sun. I think he just wants to go to get lost in the crowd."  
  
* * *  
  
Harry apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, a pub and hotel of sorts. One entrance led to muggle London, the other led to Diagon alley, completely hidden from the muggle world. Harry slipped through the pub's dining room, barely noticed and out through the back door to Diagon alley. There were hundreds of people bustling about, on summer vacation or a lunch break. Diagon alley was quite beautiful. The main walkway was cobblestone, winding back and forth until it stopped in front of Gringott's Wizarding Bank. Gringott's was a huge white marble building situated at the very end of Diagon alley. It was both intimidating and beautiful. Harry wandered through the crowd looking into the quaint little shop windows as he passed. Everyone seemed far too busy with other things to notice Harry, for which he was grateful.  
  
Harry walked into Quality Quidditch Supplies, looking around. He didn't need any quidditch supplies; he just liked looking around the store. The owners had become accustomed to his frequent visits and greeted Harry with a warm smile. He was just leaving to get something to eat when he ran into someone passing by. "Oh sorry - " Harry started, turning around, "Draco." He finished coldly upon seeing who he had run into.  
  
"Watch where you're going Potter. You'd think those glasses would keep you from running into people." Draco sneered. "We're not all as carefree as you."  
  
"And I suppose you have somewhere to be?" questioned Harry.  
  
"Yes, not that it's any of your business." Draco snapped, straightening his black robes. He had turned to walk away again but Harry interrupted him.  
  
"Doing errands for Daddy again?" It was well known that Draco was often sent to do something for his father. He had always insisted that it was important and private, but Harry had always doubted that.  
  
"Watch yourself Potter." Draco warned walking away into the crowd.  
  
"I will Malfoy." Harry answered. Draco Malfoy was the son of Lucius Malfoy, a death eater, though few people knew it. Sirius and Remus would have had him put in Azkaban for it ages ago, but there was no evidence to prove such an accusation. He watched Draco fade away into the crowd. "I'll prove it Malfoy," He muttered to himself, "and your father will go to Azkaban like he deserves." Harry stood still, thinking. Lucius Malfoy was guilty of being in league with Voldemort, but for Draco to lose his father to Azkaban.Harry shook the thoughts from his head. Draco was old enough to know what he was getting involved in. Harry sighed. He realized that worrying about the feelings of dark wizards wouldn't help anything, but Draco was the same age as he was. His stomach growled and Harry turned his back on the retreating form of Draco to find some lunch. 


	5. Movement

Look, another chapter!! So soon! I'm procrastinating studying for a midterm tomorrow. Hope you enjoy it.  
  
Movement  
  
"You can't be serious."  
  
"I assure you I am," Dumbledore stated, looking Severus Snape squarely in the face.  
  
Severus Snape was the same age as Sirius and Remus, though that was were the similarities ended. (Other than the fact they were also all male.) Snape was tall, a little over six feet. He was slim as well, although it was hard to tell because he always hid inside of long black robes. He had pale skin and shoulder length black hair which was often wrongly described as greasy. He had steel gray eyes to match his often cold personality. As the saying goes, 'if looks could kill', Severus Snape would have been responsible for many deaths. He had been the Potions teacher at Hogwarts for a good many years.  
  
"That's absurd," Professor Snape replied.  
  
"You're just saying that because you don't like him," Dumbledore said.  
  
"No," Snape countered, "I'm saying it because he hates me."  
  
"Well whose fault is that?"  
  
"His father's," Snape growled.  
  
"Leave James out of this, your differences died when he did," Dumbledore said severely.  
  
Snape's face relaxed, "Fine, if he wants to talk I'll try to listen. He won't talk to me though, he's too stubborn, don't forget he's been raised by three of the four Marauders."  
  
The Headmaster smiled, "He's been through a lot, so have you. I guarantee you that Harry will come to talk to you before this is all over."  
  
Severus scowled, "I was afraid you would say that." He slumped back into his chair abd sighed. "Well, if we both have the same enemy I suppose I will have to learn to deal with him, for the time being at least."  
  
"Excellent," Dumbledore smiled, getting up from his seat in Snape's office. "I will see you later," he said, closing the door behind him as he left.  
  
Snape soon got up and left as well, his office was full of jars containing bits of things he would rather not think about. He kept the jars in his office more to intimidate students than because he liked them. He was currently on his way to his own rooms, which were a great deal cozier than his office. Some time was needed to consider everything he and Dumbledore had said, either that or forgetting that the conversation even happened for the time being. Professor Snape was Head of Slytherin House, therefore, his private rooms were located in the dungeons of Hogwarts along with the Slytherin Common Room, his office, and his potions classroom. Slytherin's colours were green and silver, which was the reason that his rooms were accented in dark green. Snape collapsed on the black leather couch in his living room. "No," he sighed, "Albus is wrong." Snape threw his cloak over the edge of the couch as he got up to get a book. "We have nothing in common. He has too much pride to come to me fore advice, just like his father," he mumbled to himself, settling back down on the couch with a classic. "I hope."  
  
"Harry, listen to me," Sirius pleaded. Three weeks had passed and, by the last day of August, Voldemort was still no closer to being killed, though not for lack of effort. Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, Minister Aramond, and other members of the Order had spent hours searching through books but it only resulted in a few vague and cryptic clues about killing a supposedly immortal man. Harry often helped as well, though Dumbledore discouraged it. 'Why won't you let him help, Albus? He's more worried about the rest of the world than himself right now.' Sirius had asked. 'That's just it,' Albus had explained. 'He'll look for a way to kill Voldemort and when he doesn't find one he'll blame himself for the growing number of Death Eater attacks. It's better this way.'  
  
"It's been a month Sirius! And you still haven't found much," harry said a little too loudly.  
  
"And we've checked almost every relevant book in the wizarding and Muggle worlds!" Sirius exclaimed, waving his hands in the air. "If we can't find anything it means there is nothing to find."  
  
"So Voldemort is just going to be allowed to terrorize the world forever?" Harry demanded.  
  
"No one lives forever harry, even the greatest tyrants of history died."  
  
"Yeah, cause they weren't immortal," Harry stated in frustration.  
  
"Well, in my opinion, separating someone's head from the rest of their body is a good way to kill them," Sirius thought out loud.  
  
"So all I have to do is decapitate him?" harry asked.  
  
"I'm not really sure," Sirius shook his head. "One would think that would do he trick, in most cases."  
  
Harry shook his head, "Have you shared this opinion with anyone else?"  
  
"Well, no.."  
  
"Well perhaps you should do that," mocked Harry. Sirius glared at him.  
  
"Sirius, what am I going to do?" Harry sighed.  
  
"I guess just wait for us to find something useful."  
  
"No, not about that. Dumbledore doesn't want me to research with the rest of you, and I don't want a job until something has been done with Voldemort, so." Harry trailed off.  
  
"You could help me," Remus suggested, walking into the room. "Were you two fighting again?"  
  
"No, not really," Sirius answered. "How in the world did you hear us?"  
  
"Werewolf hearing, remember? So, how about it Harry?"  
  
"You want me to help you teach?" Harry asked.  
  
"Sure, who better to help with Defense Against the Dark Arts?"  
  
"Would Dumbledore mind?" Harry questioned skeptically.  
  
Remus laughed, "He'd probably love it."  
  
"Well.." Harry started.  
  
"Come on Harry," Sirius smiled, "Ginny will still be there."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, sure he lied Ginny, Ron's little sister, but Sirius had always made it into more than that. Harry shrugged, "If Dumbledore doesn't mind. And I'm not going because Ginny will be there," Harry glared at his smiling godfather.  
  
Remus smiled, "I'll go owl Dumbledore."  
  
Once Remus left the room Sirius spoke, "This will make going back to Hogwarts easier for him. Most of them will know he's a werewolf, but if you're with him they might gain back their trust in him sooner." Harry nodded, thinking to himself. He never liked being in the spotlight, but if his presence in the classroom made Remus's job easier then he was willing to help.  
  
Sirius sunk into a warm and squishy chair in the living room, Harry followed, sitting in the large window sill, both falling into silence. Sirius was lost in his own thoughts which usually consisted of worrying about Harry, worrying about Voldemort, and thinking about the tropical fish that resided at the bottom of his pool. Harry, on the other hand, was trying not to think at all.  
  
Fifteen minutes later Remus could be heard running down the stairs and then a loud thump, as he seemed to have jumped down the last set. Harry didn't move as Remus entered the living room, attempting to look composed. The only reason Sirius moved was to make fun of his friend. He shook the thoughts from his head and smirked, "A little excited are we?"  
  
Remus rolled his eyes, "Just a little." He then turned to Harry, "Dumbledore thought it was a great idea."  
  
Harry snapped his head from staring out the window to staring at Remus. "What! Already? How did he write back so fast?"  
  
Remus smiled at Harry's bewilderment, "We don't live that far from Hogwarts, not as the owl flies anyway. So all you need to decide is where you want to stay, you can stay here, or at Hogwarts."  
  
Harry looked at Remus questioningly, "Where would I stay at Hogwarts?"  
  
"In your own room, " Remus answered simply.  
  
"Oh," Harry answered. He looked to Sirius, silently asking for his opinion.  
  
"It doesn't matter to me, " Sirius said, trying to smile brightly.  
  
"Well, I guess it would be easier to just stay at Hogwarts," Harry said uneasily.  
  
"Great," Remus smiled. "I'll owl Dumbledore and tell him to get another room ready." Remus left in a much calmer manner than he had entered with, and with a smile on his face. With Harry at Hogwarts he was under at least one person's watchful eye almost all the time. Remus felt comforted to know that this way someone was always near Harry and that Harry would have less time to think about the growing problem of Voldemort.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Okay, I know this is starting off slow. but it gets more interesting once he gets back to Hogwarts. I promise!  
  
I like reviews. *hint hint* 


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